In the case of bevel gear drives, depending on the design and disposition, at high operating loads undesired displacements can take place between the spur bevel gear and the pinion because of the forces that act transversely to the plane of the spur bevel gear. In turn, these displacements impair the engagement characteristics between the spur bevel gear and the pinion, and this disadvantageously results in more severe loading of the teeth with the consequence of greater wear and increased damage.
EP 0476458 A1 describes a bevel gear drive consisting of a pinion and a spur bevel gear accommodated in a housing, which has a supporting device to protect the spur bevel gear in the event of overload. In this case the supporting device consists of a roller mounted to rotate in the housing and a roller track on the rear side of the spur bevel gear or part of it, wherein the clearance between the roller and the roller track is adjustable.
The roller is fitted onto an eccentric central section of a bolt, the two ends of the bolt being supported in the housing, with one end which is provided with a thread projecting out of the housing. Furthermore, according to EP 0476458 A1 the roller can be in the form of a roller bearing.